Hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas (from Greek ὕαινα hýaina) are the animals of the family Hyaenidae /haɪˈɛnɨdiː/ of the feliform suborder of the Carnivora. With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. Although phylogenetically they are closer to felines and viverrids, hyenas are behaviourally and morphologically similar to canines in several aspects; both hyenas and canines are nonarboreal, cursorial hunters that catch prey with their teeth rather than claws. (In fact, cheetah have been known to climb trees to escape hyenas.) Both eat food quickly and may store it, and their calloused feet with large, blunt, nonretractable nails are adapted for running and making sharp turns. However, the hyenas' grooming, scent marking, defecating habits, mating, and parental behaviour are consistent with the behaviour of other feliforms. Hyenas, especially spotted hyenas, are known for killing as much as 95% of the animals they eat, and for driving off leopards or lionesses from their kills, although they have long been regarded as being cowardly scavengers. Hyenas are primarily nocturnal animals, but sometimes venture from their lairs in the early-morning hours. With the exception of the highly social spotted hyena, hyenas are generally not gregarious animals, though they may live in family groups and congregate at kills. Hyenas first arose in Eurasia during the Miocene period from viverrid-like ancestors, and soon became well known as being of two distinct types: the lightly built dog-like hyenas and the robust bone-crushing hyenas. Although the dog-like hyenas thrived 15 million years ago (with one taxon having colonised North America), they became extinct after a change in climate along with the arrival of canids into Eurasia. Of the dog-like hyena lineage, only the insectivorous aardwolf survived, while the bone-crushing hyenas (whose extant spotted, brown and striped hyenas) became the undisputed top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa. Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures with which they are sympatric. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt, and are associated with witchcraft, because their body parts are used as ingredients in traditional medicine. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children. Hyenas are any feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae. With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. Spotted Hyenas are often called “laughing hyenas” because their giggle vocalization sounds very much like hysterical human laughter. Behaviour Spotted Hyenas may kill as many as 95% of the animals they eat, while striped hyenas are largely scavengers. Generally, Hyenas are known to drive off larger predators, like Lions, from their kills, despite having a reputation in popular culture for being cowardly. Hyenas are primarily a scavenger race, though it will occasionally attack and kill any defenseless animal it can overcome, and will supplement its diet with fruits. The spotted hyena, though it also scavenges occasionally, is an active pack hunter of medium to large sized ungulates, which it catches by wearing them down in long chases and dismembering them in a canid-like manner. Brawling over food doesn't end once cubs can stand on their own four feet. Battling for a meal can lead to high hyena mortality rates and elicit the spotted species' telltale cackle that can be heard up to 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) away. Perhaps because of their fierce jaws, cunning hunting tactics or nocturnal nature, Hyenas have nefarious reputations. Certain tribes in eastern Africa believe hyenas are owned and ridden by witches. Though their dental might is a terrifying prospect, spotted Hyenas aren't mindless scavengers. Moreover, the frontal cortex of their brains, thought to regulate social intelligence, is the largest of the other three species: brown, striped and aardwolf. Recent research has revealed that the carnivores live in surprisingly complex clans of 60 to 90 individuals. A dominant female rules the roost, and a strict hierarchy descends from there with males at the bottom. Female alpha hyenas can pass along their dominance in the womb. A surge of testosterone and other hormones in utero causes an alpha's cubs to be more aggressive than those of subordinates. Even before cubs are born, things become cutthroat. Due to the narrow shape of the female hyena's uterus, 60 percent of cubs die during birth. From there, litters of more than two cubs will result in a fight for milk since most females have only two nipples. Hyenas are primarily nocturnal animals, but sometimes venture from their lairs in the early-morning hours. With the exception of the highly social spotted Hyena, they are generally not gregarious animals, though they may live in family groups and congregate at kills. Category:Animals Category:Mammals